From Tennessee Arts Commission –
NASHVILLE —The 2023 Tennessee Poetry Out Loud (POL) champion is Megan Ammons, a senior at Harding Academy of Memphis. The competition was held on Saturday, March 4, at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. Megan is a gifted student, children’s teacher, and dancer, who hopes to attend Lipscomb University in the fall and major in pre-medicine.
“It started as more of just an opportunity just to perform and to portray what I thought that I could.” said Megan Ammons, “I got to talk to people backstage and it was also a learning experience for me as well. To help me to grow into what I wanted to be on that stage today and it was a really beautiful thing.”
Saturday’s statewide competition featured 17 finalists from across Tennessee, but only the state champion will participate in the national semifinals, with the top nine students advancing to the national finals to be held May 8-10th in Washington, D.C. Megan will receive awards from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Poetry Foundation.
“Poetry Out Loud is an amazing opportunity for all students to grow academically and professionally with peers from across the state,” said TN Arts Commission Chair Stephanie Conner. “We celebrate the efforts of each teacher and student who participated in POL this year.”
Charlotte Bollschweiler a junior from Clayton-Bradley Academy in Maryville is first runner-up. Bollschweiler will receive an award and her school will receive stipends for the purchase of poetry books and supplies. Madison Clanton from Cumberland County High School is the second runner-up and Briana Fowlkes from Mount Pleasant High School in Mount Pleasant is the third runner-up. They will also receive awards. Poetry Out Loud will award a total of $50,000 to students and schools at the National Finals, including a $20,000 award for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.
“Poetry Out Loud is an opportunity for Tennessee students to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence and learn about their literary heritage,” said Anne B. Pope, Executive Director, TN Arts Commission. “We wish Megan the best of luck in the national competition.”
The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, in partnership with the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Tennessee State Museum, presented POL 2023. The program seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry, recitation and performance, building on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form.
###
The post West TN Student Megan Ammons Wins Tennessee 2023 Poetry Out Loud Contest appeared first on Tennessee Arts Commission.